The present invention relates generally to instruments for measuring and testing, and more particularly, to instruments for sampling soil composition.
Soil sampling tools and devices are used for a variety of purposes, e.g., to obtain samples for soil moisture content or to detect and analyze the composition of the soil. Usually, for various reasons, when a soil sample is required for certain testing, the result of the testing depends in large part upon the availability of high quality test instruments and the ability to preserve the integrity of the obtained soil sample. Preservation of the integrity of the soil sample thus involves (among other factors) preventing evaporation of various volatile elements in the soil sample.
In the conventional art in the industry, various problems exist with respect to soil sampling tools. For example, many sampling tools are made of metal, preferably stainless steel, and tend to be unnecessarily complicated in design. As a consequence, the users have to pay extraordinary cost to acquire such tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,098 to Turriff et al. (hereinafter xe2x80x9cTurriffxe2x80x9d) proposes a soil sample containment cartridge. However, in practice, this soil sample containment cartridge must be used in connection with two metal handles, one for taking the sample at sites, and another for extracting the sample out in a lab environment. Typically, the metal handle for taking the sample is structurally different from the metal handle for extracting the sample, and they are not functionally interchangeable. It is thus cumbersome to require two different handle tools to complete the sample taking and extracting process.
An improved soil sampling tool which addresses and overcomes disadvantages of prior art tools is greatly desired.
An improved containment cartridge is disclosed for extracting and preserving a soil sample. The cartridge comprises a cylindrical sampling barrel for insertion into soil for collecting a soil sample wherein the sampling barrel has a holder at the end of the sampling barrel. The holder has a bigger diameter than that of the sampling barrel. The sampling barrel has a rod-like ejector with a disk-like plunger to push the soil sample out from the sampling barrel. The containment cartridge has a first lid securable to a first threaded connection on the sampling barrel at a first side of the holder. The first lid having a concentrically located nipple component with a hole in the center with a predetermined depth. And the nipple component further has a locking slot for further locking a detachable handle tool onto the first lid. The containment cartridge has a second lid securable to a second threaded connection on the sampling barrel at a second side of the holder to seal the soil sample in the sampling barrel after it is collected. The second lid has a sealing septum which isolates the soil sample from the air as the second lid is secured to the sampling barrel. The containment cartridge is used in the field for collection and sealing a soil sample therein and transporting the same to a lab environment. In the lab environment, after the second lid is detached from the sampling barrel, the first lid is detached and reversed to put the ejector in the hole of the first lid so that a force can be applied onto a rim of the first lid to push the ejector downwards, thereby retrieving the collected soil sample from the sampling barrel without securing any handle to the cartridge.
The present invention as described above thus provides an improved soil sampling instrument. The present invention has new features facilitating sample preservation, storage, transportation and identification. For instance, after the soil sample is extracted, there is no need to affix a handle on the entire cartridge to retrieve the soil sample. Since the amount of soil sample in the sampling barrel is relatively small, the top lid serves as a handle for a user to extract the soil sample out, and therefore significantly eases the lab use of the sampling instrument. Moreover, the entire sampling instrument can be made out plastic so that the cost of the instrument can be significantly less expensive than the conventional stainless steel set.